PHOENIX – The curtain goes up at Turf Paradise for the 67th time as the 2022-23 season commences Friday. The 130-day stand goes through May 8. Racing starts Friday but will be primarily be held Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday the first couple weeks of the season before going to a five-day week (Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) in February, when live racing will be conducted primarily on a Saturday-through Wednesday schedule the rest of the meet. First post is 12:40 p.m. through Feb. 11. It then moves to 12:55 through March 11 before going to 1:25 to the conclusion of the meet. There will be schedule changes for special days (Breeders’ Cup, Kentucky Derby). :: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now! The return to some weekend action is considered a key step, according to general manager Vince Francia, after forgoing weekend action much of last season, along with the introduction of sports wagering access. “We are bringing back fan favorites in addition to featuring Unibet Sport Betting,” said Francia. “The return of weekend racing gives more fans more time to enjoy horse racing live and in person. “But the two projects I’m most proud of are the science and effort we put into the main track and the turf course. The goal, of course, is to get these surfaces as safe for the horses as possible. After all, it’s all about the horse. Without the horse we don’t exist.” Last year’s leading trainer Justin Evans is back, along with familiar names Robertino Diodoro, Jonathan Wong, Miguel Hernandez, and Jeffrey Metz, while last year’s runaway leading rider Harry Hernandez is back to defend his title against the likes of Karlo Lopez, Alex Cruz, Luis Valenzuela, Danial Vergara, Jose Zunino, Glenn Corbett, and Lindey Wade. Opening day features the $60,000 Hanks Mills Sr., a 6 1/2-furlong event for 3-year-olds and upward. It drew a highly competitive field of 12, led by local multiple stakes winner Tony’s Tapit. Owned by Kirk Sutherland and trained by Jose Silva Jr., the 4-year-old colt by Tonalist comes off two romping wins at Canterbury this summer, including a big win in the HBPA Sprint there last time out. Minister of Soul, second in the HBPA, has been a fixture here for years. The 8-year-old gelded son of Ministers Wild Cat owned and trained by Esteban Martinez, has a super local record, 13-8-3-1, including winning the track’s marquee event, the Phoenix Gold Cup, in 2021 Other challengers include Truth Seeker, who invades off some good work in California; Tiger Dad, second to Tony’s Tapit at Canterbury Aug. 27 but who won his only two starts here including the Phoenix Gold Cup in March; and Collusionist, a red-hot Arapahoe invader who comes into this off five straight wins there. Also in the mix are Papa’s Golden Boy, one of the best horses to race at Emerald this season, having posted two stakes wins and a second in the Longacres Mile; Canadian Pride, who did good work in Southern California including running third in a Grade 2 at Santa Anita in March and coming here after being claimed for $80,000 by last year’s second leading trainer, Robertino Diodoro; and Ramblin Man, a winner of seven of his last eight including two stakes wins here and four stakes wins at Arizona Downs and who’s been super on this track with a record of 19-8-2-5. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.